This invention relates to insulation removal and more particularly, to apparatus for removing asbestos from around pipes, boilers and the like.
As is generally well known, asbestos was for years used as an insulating material in schools and other public buildings, homes, offices and on ships. Typically, the asbestos was wrapped around boilers or overhead pipes. A layer of cheesecloth was then placed over the asbestos and lacquered. The result was an asbestos wrapped pipe with a hardened shell over the asbestos.
Now that medical science has demonstrated the hazards of asbestos, on-going program are in place, nationwide, to remove and dispose of this material. These programs are arduous and expensive because of the danger of releasing airborne asbestos fibers. Inhalation of even a few of these fibers can ultimately result in a person developing asbestosis, a fatal disease.
The common method employed to remove asbestos is to slit the lacquered coating in several places with a knife and then saturate the underlying asbestos with water sprayed on the openings. Wetting has the advantage of preventing asbestos fibers from being released to the atmosphere.
While effective, the current method is time consuming and thus expensive.
The present method overcomes these problems in a manner not revealed by the known prior art.